Not without you
by twentyfourrocks
Summary: A fic that takes place right after day 3, when Michelle leaves CTU after Tony has already gone to Federal. Please read and review.
1. Default Chapter

This fic takes place after season three. Tony has been led out of CTU to be put into holding in Federal which in my mind is kind of like a white walled holding room with a cot in an agency like CTU or district, not an actual prison, although in this story one wall has a mirror on it but is actually a window into the cell. Enjoy and please read and review; it encourages me to keep writing!!!

Dislaimer: 24 not mine yadda yadda   
  
Michelle didn't even pay attention to where she was going. She just drove the car, one elbow resting on the door, thinking about Tony. She loved him so much. She needed him. She couldn't imagine living without him. She arrived at Federal and parked the car; this would be the hard part, getting in to see him. Once in the front at Federal, the man in charge came to talk to her. "

What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Michelle Dessler Almeida," she said shaking his hand, realization appearing on his face as she said her last name.

Michelle went by just Almeida outside of work, but this would make more sense to him, as she went by Dessler in the professional world.

"You want to see your husband, I presume?" he said.

"Yes."

"Well I'm afraid I cannot allow that," he said, not meanly, but not completely sympathetic either.

Michelle got the impression that he was a semi-nice guy.

"Look," Michelle said, lowering her voice slightly, "I have been awake for over 36 hours, yet I can't sleep in my exhaustion knowing he's here all alone."

The man looked at her for a second, examined her set, strong expression, noticing the determined look yet also the slight pleading in her face.

"Fine," he said.

Michelle followed him into the holding cell. As soon as he opened the door, Michelle rushed at Tony, who seeing her, jumped up and ran a few feet towards her. They fell into each other's arms, gripping tightly, both scared that if they let go they would be separated again. The man smiled slightly as Tony kissed Michelle on the forehead, holding her tight, and he closed the door.

"Oh my God, what are you doing here? How-?" Tony started, seemingly lost for words.

Tears started to fall down Michelle's face, and Tony wiped them away with his thumbs.

"Tony, I know you said you could live even in prison knowing I was okay, but I can't. I can't live without you, I just can't." Michelle managed to gasp out.

"Hey," Tony said, moving his head down slightly to look at her face, which was pointing towards the ground, "It's gonna be okay."

She nodded, her crying starting to fade away as his arms continued to circle her waist. He kissed her softly on the lips. Tony lead her to the cot in the corner and took her jacket. He carefully undid her shoes; she was so tired. She began to shiver a little, and Tony took his sweater off, revealing a white t-shirt and motioned for her to put in on. She shook her head.

"Sweetheart, you're gonna get cold," she protested.

"You run colder than me; come on, I don't want you to be freezing," he said, holding it out for her so she could stick her arms in.

She loved that Tony was so protective of her. She put her arms in the sweater and let him pull it over her, turning by the hips to face him. He was careful not to ruin her hair too much. He brushed a stray curl out of her eyes once the sweater was on. It flowed on her, the sleeves too big. Michelle loved wearing his clothes though; she didn't mind that they were big. She leaned up and kissed him on the lips briefly. He settled against the wall, allowing her room to lie onto his slightly slumped body. She cuddled into his chest, Tony twirling some of her hair in his fingers as she closed her eyes. He pulled a blanket up over them and relaxed into her. She held one of his hands and with his other, Tony stroked her hair, watching her fall quickly asleep in his arms. Once convinced she was asleep, he allowed himself to drift off, holding her close to him the whole time, refusing to let go. Little did the couple know that in the adjacent room that could see into the holding cell, the people had practically brought up popcorn, calling each other to come in and see this sweet display.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for the reviews! I really like reviews and they really encourage me to keep going. I actually alreaedy finished chapter 3 so the more reviews i get, the sooner I'll post! By the way, I changed it so that my acount does accept annonymous reviews. Oh, and Joe's Girl i think it was, dont worry! this isnt going to get x-rated as there are people in the room watching. Plus, i never really write past pg-13. Thanks!!!

Tony woke up twelve hours later from the sound of movement in the room. He opened his eyes slowly, happy that Michelle was still wrapped in his arms. The man that Tony assumed was in charge said that CTU needed some code from something Michelle was working on the day before.

"So, she'll need to wake up," said the man.

"Okay, I'll do it," said Tony softly.

He leaned down and started stroking her hair, next kissing her lightly on the lips.

"Sweetheart," he whispered as she began to stir from his touch.

She opened her eyes to see him looking back at her. She turned slightly and rested her chin on his chest.

"Hey you," she said.

"Hey you," he said back.

Tony didn't want to bother her. She had closed her eyes to rest them, and he didn't want to be the one to make them open again. She was so tired.

"Baby, they need the activation code for file AA28B," he said.

"AA28B?" she said. "Yeah," he said, kissing her on the forehead.

"It's J6951G," she said, not even opening her eyes.

"Got it," said the man, closing the door behind him.

In the observation room behind the mirror, the group of people had re- gathered, watching them interact in order to find out what Tony was like, to familiarize themselves with his intents in order to make a judgment for the trial. There were a couple extra people then needed, however, as it was nice to see a pleasant scene in there for once. Once the man had left, Michelle used Tony's shirt to pull herself up so that her head was closer to his, looking into his eyes.

"How you doing?" she asked Tony sleepily.

"I'm okay. How are you?" he responded.

"I'm okay," she said smiling at him.

He kissed her. She sat up a little more, placing her hand on the side of his chin, and continued to kiss him, needing to feel his lips on hers. He put his hand on her face. After a moment, she pulled back, resting her forehead on his.

"God I love you," he said.

"I love you so much," she said, leaning in and kissing him again.

He pulled back, rubbing his cheek against hers, feeling her skin. She stood up, bringing him with her, pulling his arms around her. She leaned her forehead onto his, her arms around his neck, his around her back, pulling her closer to him.

"Honey, what are we going to do?" she said, finally looking up into his face.

He looked back at her pleading eyes, knowing that there was no way he could live without this woman.

"I don't know, sweetie," he said, reaching behind him and pushing the blanket to the floor so that they could sit up on the cot.

Tony sat down on the end of the cot, his feet on the ground, and pulled her into his lap. She sat in between his legs on the mattress, Tony wrapping his arms around her and placing his chin on her shoulder. He cuddled his face into her neck, closing his eyes, trying to block out the reality of his situation, of their situation. She put her hand up behind her, stroking his hair.

"They can't convict you, Tony, they can't."

She paused.

"I can't live without you."

He rested his forehead on her shoulder.

"Michelle," he said, standing up a little so that he could walk around and kneel in front of her. "I am in love with you, I always have been. But the fact is, you're alive, you're safe, and they see what I did as treasonous. They are going to put me in prison; we both just have to accept that."

He said this last part with a softened voice and expression, running his hand over Michelle's face, next wiping a tear away with his thumb.

"No," Michelle said, looking away from him, "No."

She avoided his gaze, not touching him, allowing her hand to slip from his neck to her lap. He reached for her hand, but she moved it out of the way, standing up and walking around his back, forcing him to turn to look at her, her demeanor becoming hysterical.

"No Tony, they can't do this, why are you giving up, they can't, no Tony no- " Michelle sobbed, not really mad at him but losing control.

Tony cut her off by wrapping her flailing body trying to escape his embrace, in his arms. Her rage seemed to wear out immediately as he held her, and she sobbed openly into his chest, physically sickened by the pain she felt. Tony in turn was holding her close, his chin resting on her head, his mouth open, gasping for air and his eyes about to overflow, trying to control himself, keep it together so that he could help her through this. But the pain was evident in his eyes; they were haunted with sorrow, gazing unfocused at the mirror on the wall. Michelle cried her way into exhaustion, and as her sobs grew softer, her body slowly began to sink more weight onto Tony. Tony lifted her depleted body and carried her to the bed, her sobs still audible, tears still running down her cheeks. He lowered her onto the bed, her body motionless, and put the pillow under her head. As tears continued to stream from underneath her eyelids, Tony held her hand, kneeling on the floor with his forehead on the bed and his free arm across her steadily rising stomach as she drifted off to sleep, exhaustion overcoming her limp body.


	3. Chapter 3

_Keep reviewing please!!! They are really encouraging. Thanks! :)_

Five minutes later, Tony remained in the same place, but had begun crying. He started to talk to her, resting his head closer so that it was still on the bed but pressed up against her side briefly.

"God I love you. I'm trying to keep it together for you. But the truth is baby, I'm terrified. Yeah, I'm scared of going to prison, I'm scared of losing my freedom, but most of all I'm scared of not being with you. I don't know how I'll, or even if I will survive. And what about you? This is going to hurt you so badly. And I would rather die then have you feel an ounce of pain. I love you so much. You are my gift from God, my sole mate; I cannot imagine my life without you. I remember the first time I told you I loved you. I was so nervous. But then you smiled at me and told me you loved me too, and it was the best feeling in the world. And now everyday since then I've been able to have that feeling; I need that feeling Michelle. It keeps me going. My body feeds off of it. I can't imagine not having that feeling anymore. I can't imagine not being able to kiss you everyday, to be able to wrap your curls in my fingers. I can't imagine leaving you to fend by yourself and sitting in a cell knowing that you are hurting. I think the thought would eventually drive me insane. We're supposed to be together, Michelle. I knew it the day of the CTU bombing, when you kissed me. God it was like I had waited an eternity for that kiss. I had been so nervous to let anybody in. But you taught me how to trust again. And I not only found myself trusting you more than anybody else in the world but found myself falling in love."

Tony stood up and sat on the edge of the bed next to her, never breaking the grip on her hand. He brushed a stray piece of hair off her face and allowed his hand to linger on her face.

"You are so beautiful. I can't ever seem to get enough of you. But, it seems I might not be able to be with you much longer. God Michelle I hate to put you through this."

He sighed, slightly caressing her cheek with his thumb.

"When I got shot, the first thing I did was try and say your name. I must have passed out because the next thing I knew I was in a hospital room with a bandage on my neck. I immediately began to worry. I knew you would have been freaking out. But then you came threw the door and relief seeped through my body. You were there, like you always had been. I felt so bad about the way I treated you after we left the hospital. God I was a jerk. I'm so sorry baby. When you called me from the hotel and said that the virus had been released and that you were exposed, it seemed like I had just been stabbed in the heart about a million times. I couldn't breathe. All I could think was I wish I was there with you. I couldn't believe I had let you almost die. Oh but then when you told me that you weren't infected I was so happy; I couldn't even express myself. I told you I loved you. Michelle I have never meant those three words more than when I say them to you. Then came the kidnapping. I couldn't stand seeing him threatening you. I would've traded spots with you in a millisecond, had it been me they were threatening, but I couldn't."

Tony paused.

"Sweetheart I put your life in front of my duty as an agent because I couldn't stand the thought of something happening to you. I was happy that nobody was hurt because of what I did, but if truth be told, I would rather die then have something happen to you. I love you, I'm in love with you Michelle, I just, I don't know how I'm going to live without you."

At this Tony started to cry again. He leaned down to where she was and kissed her on the lips, still holding her hand and wrapping his other arm around her waist, resting his head on her chest. As he sobbed, finally letting it out, he felt her slowly rub his back up and down, stroking his hair and planting kisses on his forehead.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry this has taken awhile. This chapter is a little short but the next one will be longer, promise! please REVIEW!!! i really like reviews and they really encourage me to keep going! :)

Tony was surprised that she was awake, but the second he started to cry, he knew there was no way he was going to be able to stop. There was so much he needed to get out. Michelle put her arms around him and pulled him to the top of the bed. He had closed his eyes and was sobbing uncontrollably. She laid him on his back, lying on her side and stroking his hair and face, kissing his face as well. She whispered words of comfort to him.

"Could we get some water please," Michelle said after a couple of minutes, looking at the mirror.

"No Michelle," Tony said in between sobs, "I don't want anybody to see me like this."

"Okay," she said, as he turned on his side to face the wall, "Okay."

She turned into a sitting position so that she was facing the door, keeping her hand on his side. When the door opened she stood up and met the man with the glasses and pitcher of water at the door.

"Thank you," she said with a nod.

"No problem," he said, closing the door.

She carried the water over to the bed and placed it on the floor. She poured him a glass of water before dipping a small towel they had given them into the pitcher. She turned him onto his back and started wiping the sweat and tears off his face with the towel, brushing the water over his red face. He was flushed and she could tell he was probably over heated so she knew the cold water would feel good on his face. She climbed over him and laid on her side again, this time with her back to the wall, still wetting his face. Her elbow pressed into the bed as she laid her head on her hand. She began to whisper comforting words to him, kissing his eyelid, cheek, forehead. She dropped her hand from her head, relaxing her arm as she placed it above his head, stroking his hair gently, still propping herself up to the side of him.

"Sweetheart, it's going to be okay. You were so courageous yesterday; I was so proud of you. You can't keep doing this baby, taking blame for the things that went wrong. It was out of your control; you didn't choose to be put in that situation. Oh God Tony there were so many times yesterday I thought I was going to lose you. I think I nearly fainted when I heard you had been shot in the neck. I need you to know how much I love you, and that I will stand by you forever, no matter what happens. Oh sweetheart," she said, kissing his face.

Tony put his hand over his eyes, trying to hide some of the tears still spilling out of them.

"Baby above all people you can't hide this from me; don't shut me out. I'm here; I'm not going anywhere," she said, stroking his hair and kissing him under his eye.

She wiped a tear away with her fingers, next dabbing the back of his neck with the wet towel. He sat up and hugged her tightly, crying into her shoulder, crying for everything and everyone. Michelle put her hand on the back of his head, stroking his hair gently and whispering 'I love you' in his ear over and over again. She slipped around the back of him and put her arms around his neck, body facing forward so that she was sitting to the side of him but facing him. He seemed to be calming down slightly, and when she put her feet on the floor, facing the door, he laid his head onto her lap, tears still trickling down his face, features displaying a grief, an enormous amount of pain. She stroked his head and told him that it would be okay, gazing at him lovingly. Finally, his crying softened, and he closed his eyes for a second, relaxing them. She noticed when he opened them that they were bloodshot, and she was barely able to contain the tears that had been threatening to overflow for awhile now. But she kept it together so that she could take care of him; he needed her right now, they needed each other. He tried to speak, but as he was slightly hoarse, his words escaped his mouth in only a whisper.

"I love you."

A tear dropped from her face, and it seemed to take an eternity for it to hit his. He sat up a little and wiped the next one for her, kissing her very softly on the lips.

"I love you too," she said softly, placing her hand on his, his fingers wrapping themselves around hers. "Sweetie we're going to get through this," she said firmly.

He nodded slightly, tears silently streaming down his face. Again she wiped them away with her hand. Tony had calmed down, had become quieter, but Michelle could see the pain still reflected in his eyes. They were both so tired; crying had taken a lot out of Tony, and he seemed emotionally drained. Michelle knew that he was not always the best at opening up; she herself had only seen him really brake down a couple of times, and most people if not everybody besides her, had never seen him cry. He sat against the wall, and Michelle came and leaned up against him. Even though they were sitting up, they both were able to drift off, Tony's arms around her, hers holding onto his, both refusing to let go, stuck in an embrace of everlasting love.


	5. Chapter 5

_Please REVIEW!!! The next part should be a little longer... this is kinda a transition but i think it works. please let me know if youd like me to continue... thanks and enjoy!!! :) big grin_

"How long have they been like that?" asked Hammond, standing behind the glass, looking into the holding cell.

"About six hours, sir," said the man in charge at Federal.

"Well Bob, why did you let her in in the first place?" Hammond asked between gritted teeth.

"Because sir," he said in a sarcastically polite voice, "with her in there he is talking about the true cause of his treasonous act. Not to mention my people are getting a better idea of his intentions and personality."

"Well, have you gotten anything you can use against him so far?"

"So far, the best course of action seems to be to request leniency and-"

"What?" roared Hammond.

"Sir, we believe that as a whole his actions were genuinely not taken in order to betray his country; they were just taken in order to save his wife. We are however," he said a little louder to cover Hammond's grunts of disapproval, "still going to point out the fact that he did indeed break the law and will see that the proper consequence is established."

Hammond thought for a second.

"Fine. Keep me up to date."

And with that he walked out.

Inside the holding cell Tony and Michelle were still sitting against the wall sleeping, Tony's arms around her and hers around his. Both had a serene look on their face, like they had finally been able to really relax, wrapped in each other's arms.

"Do we really want to send this guy to jail?" said Bob Grover to one of the people who was watching, a man named Kevin Slinken.

"I don't know. I feel bad for the guy, and its obvious he's not a hard criminal, but still, he did break the law, I guess," said Kevin.

"I still don't feel right about this. I mean, I don't think this guy deserves to go to prison. Did anybody die because of his actions?"

Kevin checked through the papers in the folder he was holding.

"No sir. In fact, Almeida actually helped get Saunders back after he helped him escape. I assume some people got hurt in the battle that occurred in order to capture Saunders and his men, but I'm not sure if Almeida can be blamed for that."

"This is a hard one Slinken. I'm gonna need to talk to them,"

"Of course Mr. Grover. Would you like to talk to them now?"

"No. Call me when they wake up. If it's not in the next hour than we'll wake them."

"Yes sir."

Grover left the room.

About a half hour later Michelle had started to stir. Once awake, she laid on her side and just watched Tony. She began to stroke his hair; God she loved him. It devoured her. It felt like she was made for him; he was her sole mate, the one person in the world that she was meant to spend her life with. She wondered how long it would be until they made love again, until they shared an intimate dinner, until they took one of their long walks that lead nowhere. It was like she knew in the back of her brain, the part that held her better knowledge of reality and all the procedures that she lived by in the professional world, that there was just cause to convict Tony, but it was almost as if she was pretending that that part didn't exist, trying to forcibly block out the rationality of the conviction, trying to make it seem as though there was no way he could be convicted because the charge, was strictly ludicrous. And she did believe, even in the part of her that thought that there was this 'just cause', the part that made her look at the conviction objectively, that the charge was definitely not fair. But what was important was if other people would see it as unfair. She was in love with him; her opinion on the matter was about as important as the average dung beetle's. But was it? What if she rallied for him, told their story and tried to get public support. But there was really only so much she could tell the public about what occurred that day. 'Shut up brain,' she thought angrily. She didn't want to think about the logistics, just about her love for him. Concentrate on that. Its something solid, something that was there, firm and rigid, and there was nobody that could take that from her. But they could take him, and it was easier to concentrate on the definite rather than the unknown. She leaned down and kissed him on the nose, Tony letting out a slight moan and opening his eyes to the face of his beautiful, compassionate wife.


	6. Chapter 6

_PLEASE REVIEW!!!_

_Content warning... a little swearing in this chapter but not to much... a little less romantic then before but I hope you guys like it anyways! :)_

"They're awake sir," said Kevin through the mouthpiece.

"Thank you. I'll be in in a minute," said Grover before hanging up the phone.

"Hello," said Michelle.

"Hey," said Tony.

There was a noise at the door as the man in charge walked in.

"My name is Bob Grover. I am the head at Federal. I am going to need to ask you both some questions, both separate and together. Mr. Almeida I'd like to speak to you first."

Tony looked at Michelle, who sitting on the side of the bed, began to speak.

"I'll go home and get changed. I'll be back in an hour," Michelle said.

"What if you can't get back in?" Tony asked.

"I will make sure she is given access," said Grover.

"Then I'll fight to the death till I can," Michelle said, oblivious to what Grover had said.

She leaned down and kissed him quickly before slipping her shoes on and walking to the door.

"Michelle," Tony said, Michelle having just reached the door, opening it, and Tony now sitting on the bed with his feet on the floor, ignoring the man in the room.

"Yes," she said, glancing back around at him.

"I love you," he called to her, not even blinking as he stared at her, not trying to whisper it or mouth it, but saying it clearly so the whole room could hear.

Who cared about this guy hearing? No doubt he and his people had been listening on everything they had said. Michelle smiled.

"I know," she said, a look in her eyes that confirmed without speaking it, just how much she loved him too.

She walked out the door, closing it behind her and leaning her back up against it briefly with a sigh, next getting her purse and keys and driving home for a much needed shower and change of clothes.

Inside the holding room, Tony had moved over to the table so that he was sitting opposite Grover. His face had turned from an expression of worrisome love to seriously blank.

"So Mr. Almeida-"

"Tony and lets just skip the niceties; this will go faster."

"Very well. We want to hear an account of your day-"

"I already gave it at CTU; surely you have the transcript."

"Yes we do. This is Roy Smith, the in house psychologist. He'd like to have a word so I'll just step out," Grover said as a short man walked in with a file and a clipboard.

"Bringing in the shrink," said Tony sarcastically.

"So Tony," he said in a typical soothing type of voice, "Let's just jump into it. Do you think what you did was right?"

Smith looked at Tony, who looked back, not answering the question.

"Please, I was at CTU for a long time. You think you're gonna get me to say that I did something wrong when there are at least two people plus this Grover guy looking in?

Ignoring this, Smith began to speak again.

"How did it make you feel when you saw that your wife was kidnapped?"

"What the fuck kind of question is that. How do you think I felt? Look, I'm done with this shit, I'm not saying another word without a lawyer present."

Tony turned in his seat so that he wasn't looking at Smith any longer. Smith got up and walked through the door into the room behind the mirror.

"Why did you leave?" Grover asked.

"Because he's not gonna tell me or you or anyone else here anything. He's not gonna want to talk to anybody he doesn't know, especially people with authority, right now. I think your best bet is to have him transferred back to CTU and have him interrogated by people he knows while a couple people from Federal look in."

Bob sighed.

"Fine. I'll call Hammond now. You two," he said to the people who had been listening in, one of them Kevin, "I want you to take him to CTU with Roy and listen in. Got it?"

"Yes sir," they both said, walking out of the room to get Tony.

Tony saw the men enter the room, one of them pulling out handcuffs.

"Where are you taking me," he demanded.

They stayed silent.

"Where the hell are you taking me?" he repeated angrily.

Grover walked in.

"Where am I going?" he demanded of him.

"CTU," said Grover calmly.

"What?" said Tony, slightly shocked. "Hammond is on board with me being at CTU?"

"Yes," said Grover simply.

"Well, someone needs to tell my wife," said Tony worriedly.

"We'll make sure she knows," said Grover, the men now taking Tony from the room before he could interject, checking him out, and putting him into the back of a car, headed for CTU.


	7. Chapter 7

Tony walked into CTU in the same clothes he had left it, but with the added wrist accessory of handcuffs. People seemed to slow what they were doing, looking at him, Tony purposefully keeping his head staring down, not meeting anyone's eyes. Still being escorted by the two from Federal, they reached the holding room and paused, clearly waiting for somebody to give the code."

"It's 6351" Tony said.

The two men looked at him quizzically before pressing in the said code, the door opening, and Tony following them into the room where he took a seat. The men exited the room after they removed his handcuffs, Tony rubbing his wrists, staring down. He glanced up at the camera in the corner and then stared at the mirror in front of him. He had stood on the other side of the glass so many times; it seemed ridiculous that being on the one side of that thin border made him come across as a completely different person than when he stood on the other side. He heard the door open and looked up.

"Well Tony. I'm so happy to be seeing you again today," said Hammond sarcastically.

"Oh the feelings mutual, Brad," replied Tony scathingly, and then in a more gentle tone, "Is Michelle here?"

"Lets get to the point Tony."

"Just answer me Brad!"

"Yes, she is. She's in the next room. Now tell me-"

"Look Brad, this is ridiculous. What kind of strategy is it to bring me here. I know all of CTU's interrogation tactics. And I know all my people."

He emphasized the word 'my'.

"Right now behind that mirror is Jack, who when he comes in to 'interrogate' me, will try and be a hard ass, but he'll actually be subconsciously thinking up plots on how to get me out of here, or how to make it so that it looks like we covered all ground without actually making me say anything. Then I suppose is either Chloe or Adam, probably Chloe, who's biting her nails as we speak."

Behind the mirror Chloe removed her fingernails from her mouth.

"Then I suppose are the guys and shrink from Federal. And of course, my beautiful wife. See the thing is Brad, is that by bringing me here, you've hit too close to home. Between the two of us we probably spend more time here then at home so my staff, whatever you might think, is quite loyal. All I have to say on the matter of my arrest is that I did what I did because I love her. And if I had the chance, I would do it again. I'm thankful that nobody got hurt because of what I did, and although going to prison, as I'm sure you are going to see to it that I do, is going to be terrible, it's a fine price to pay to know that she's safe. You see, the conditions of one of us not being transferred were that if we worked together, we had to not let our relationship get in the way. Therefore none of you ever saw that I am in love with her."

It seemed he was talking more to the mirror now than anything, he had stopped looking at Brad and was staring straight past his reflection.

"See, to me, I would give the world for her. I would rather die a horrible death than to see her have to cope with an ounce of pain. Michelle, I would bet, is maintaining her strong exterior, until it is too much, and she'll step out of the holding room and find a private spot, and pull herself together. With all the crap that she's been through, she still maintains her composure."

Tony's eyes seemed to fill with emotion as he talked, clearly directing his words in the direction of the people behind the mirror, specifically Michelle.

"She is the strongest person I know. Once she has stepped out, Kim will start to follow and then realize that she has to listen to the rest of what I'm saying. The second I'm done, she'll go and comfort her. So Brad, I know my people. If you'd like I can probably tell you who's on this shift and what they are most likely doing. But I think you get the point."

He said this last part in a condescending way, trying to take the smug, superior attitude and expression away from Hammond.

"Well-" Hammond started, but Tony cut him off.

"That's enough. Let me see her."

He folded his hands and rested them on the table, no longer looking at Hammond or the mirror. Hammond started to say something again, but seeing as Tony didn't even bother to look up, he simply sighed angrily and walked out the door. Tony let out a careless little breath, a tiny grin spreading on his face. The fact that he had just told Hammond off, and there was nothing he could do about it, was thoroughly intriguing. That combined with the thoughts of Michelle and finally being able to express his true reason for his act to the people he knew, gave him a moment of relief. But the smile disappeared as he waited restlessly for her; he needed to see her, to ask her what to do, and to simply touch her. Outside the room behind the mirror Michelle took a deep breath, forcing herself to keep it together. She opened the door into the room.

"Michelle," Hammond said, nodding towards the door that led into the holding room. "He won't say anything until he sees you."

Michelle nodded understandingly and walked as fast as she could without actually running to the door. He didn't even have to stand up. The second she opened the door she ran to him and sat onto his lap sideways so that she could look at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling her close to him. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her shoulder and hair. She stroked his hair and softly whispered 'I love you' in his ear. Tony leaned back and looked at her, Michelle's hand immediately going to his face, stroking his stubble.

"Sweetheart, I need you to do something for me," he said, staring into her eyes.

"Anything," she said, staring back with love and devotion.

He pulled her close to him so that he could whisper into her ear, not wanting anybody else to hear.

"In my office, there is the picture of us on my desk. Could you take it out of the frame and bring it to me?"

"Yeah, I'll go right now," she said, beginning to stand up, but Tony pulled her back down to his lap.

"That's not all," he whispered in her ear. "In the back of the bottom drawer of my desk is a small box. In it is a picture of you and the note you wrote me for our anniversary last year. Could you bring those too?"

Michelle looked at him. She had no idea that he had that and was overcome by the fact that he did.

"Okay," she whispered, kissing him softly on the lips.

He brought his hand up to her face and rested his forehead on hers, next kissing her on the nose. It was then that he noticed that she had silent tears running down her face.

"Baby, don't cry," he said gently, wiping her tears with his hand.

She took a deep breath.

"I'll be right back."

She kissed him on the head before standing up, wiping her tears away from her eyes, and opening the door to exit. Tony stared at the door even after she had closed it, willing her to come back into view so that he could hold her again.

So that was chapter 7... i hoped you guys liked it and as always... PLEASE REVIEW!!! they really do encourage me to keep writing.


	8. Chapter 8

Michelle walked up the stairs to Tony's office. Some new person who had obviously just been placed in CTU spotted her opening the door.

"You can't go in there," she said in an annoying voice.

'Another one in Hammond's pocket,' Michelle thought bitterly to herself. She turned around and stared at the girl.

"Let me give you some advice. Stay out of this. This is none of your business."

"That is Tony Almeida's office. He is in custody because he's a traitor, so stay out of his office," she said in an almost superior tone.

This girl obviously had no idea that Michelle was Tony's wife.

"Listen, whatever Division's told you, you spread that crap about Tony, his staff will make absolute hell for you."

With that she walked threw the door and into Tony's office. Adam was sitting on one of the desks nearby, laughing slightly as he saw the shocked look on Jenny's face, having seen the whole thing.

"Who does she think she is," she asked Adam.

"Michelle? Oh, you don't want to mess with her. She's Tony's wife and one hell of an agent. I'd keep out of her way."

He laughed as Jenny's face turned pale white upon realizing that she had just been talking to Tony's wife. Inside Michelle had sat down at his desk and took the picture from the desk. She stared at it for a minute before opening the back of the frame and removing it. She then opened his bottom drawer and took out a box the size of a shoe box. Opening the lid with shaking hands, she revealed a few pictures along with a few pieces of paper. The first picture was one of her on their honeymoon. The next was of them kissing on their wedding day. Even in her distress she recognized how handsome he had looked. The last was a picture of them hugging each other so tight that there cheeks were pushed together, both grinning stupidly at the camera. The first piece of paper was the note he had asked for. The second seemed to be a note he had been working on, the looks of it being for her birthday. She read what he had written. He had clearly been working on it hard because there were lots of smudges where he had erased and cross-outs where he had put other words. It wasn't completely finished, but as she read what he had already written tears streamed down her face. On the back of the paper were lists of possible presents and places he could take her for her birthday. Grabbing the two pictures he had asked for and the note, folding them and putting them into her pocket, she took the paper with her birthday stuff on it and began to walk out. She threw the door up and walked down the stairs, tears still streaming down her face but a fury burning in her heart. She flung the door of the observation room for the interrogation room Tony was in open. Everybody stopped what they were doing and stared at her tear stained furious face.

"Does this look like the note of a traitor Brad? Does it you son of a bitch?" she yelled at him, holding the note in her fist in his face.

She slammed her hand onto the table, opening her fist so that note laid under her stinging hand. She walked to the door to the interrogation room. Hammond picked up the paper and looked at it.

"Mr. Hammond?" said Chloe uncertainly.

"What is it?" asked Kim.

He read the note out loud.

"_To my beautiful wife,_

_Happy Birthday! I'm so happy that you were born! Michelle, you got to know that I love you so much. You are so beautiful, smart, and loving. Everyday I wake up happy because you are next to me. I came alive when I met you. You transformed what I thought was love. I really had no idea what that was, until I fell in love with you. Michelle, I have always been in love with you. I always mocked the idea of love at first sight; that was before I laid eyes on you. You were the most stunning thing I had ever seen; you still are. Like I said at our wedding, when I got to know you first professionally, then as a friend, then with us dating, I fell even more in love with you then I thought was possible. You are my life, my world._"

The letter stopped. It was obviously not done, something that he had in the works. Hammond sighed. Kim, Chloe and the guys from Federal were silent. Michelle had had a reason to be furious.

Michelle's fury dissolved as she stepped in, closing the door and sinking onto the floor. Tony rushed over to her, wrapping his arms around her. She sobbed uncontrollably.

"Sweetheart?" he said, "What is it?"

The concern was evident in his voice.

"In the box," she gasped, "The birthday letter."

He pulled her close.

"Shit. I forgot that was in there. I should have known that it would upset you right now. This is all my fault."

He shook his head, still holding her close.

"No Tony no. That was the most beautiful thing I've read since you read me your vows. You are the most wonderful man."

Her crying stopped as she said this last sentence, staring into his eyes. But the tears came back as she remembered that no matter how wonderful he was, he was probably not coming back to her for some time.

"Tony you have to know that you are my life. I love you so much. God I can't imagine this. How can they be doing this to you? To us?"

He held her close.

"I don't know honey," he said quietly.

He hated seeing her like this. He stood up and helped her up. They walked over to the chairs at the table and sat down, holding hands. Michelle had stopped crying. They looked into each other's eyes.

"Here," she said, pulling the folded pictures and paper out of her pocket and handing it to him, although covering it with her hand so that the people behind the mirror couldn't see what it was.

"Thanks," he said, as Hammond walked in, followed by one of the guards, Michelle glaring at him.

"Tony, whatever it is, give it here."

"Look Brad it's none of your business."

"You know it is Tony; now let me see it."

Tony reluctantly handed the folded pictures and paper to Hammond. The second he realized that it was just some pictures and what looked like from first glance a love note, he handed it back, already feeling bad about the note that Michelle had furiously shoved in his face. He handed it back.

"That's fine," he said, exiting the room, the guard in tow.

Hammond became aware that he was slowly warming to the idea of a reduced sentence, and he reminded himself that no matter how much Tony loved Michelle, he, as both of their superiors, had to stay strong. Tony had broken the law, and he was going to pay.

**Hope you enjoyed!!! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

PLEASE REVIEW!!! IT REALLY ENCOURAGES ME TO CONTINUE!! ENJOY! :)

Behind the mirror, Adam had taken Chloe's place as she had to leave to work on something else. They were looking on at the couple. Michelle was still sitting on Tony's lap with her arms wrapped around his head. Tony was resting his hands on her waist and looking up at her, her staring back at him. Michelle, who was talking softly to him, put one of her hands on his face.

"I've never really seen them like this," said Adam softly.

"I know," said Kim, "I only really saw them like this at their wedding and maybe a couple of other times. Look at how in love they are."

Michelle leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips, and Tony rested his forehead on hers, tightening his grip around her. The group behind the mirror was silent. They turned the audio feed from the interrogation room back on.

"Walking on the beach barefoot," Michelle said.

Tony thought.

"Getting to hold your hand while walking on the beach barefoot," he smiled at her.

She grinned.

"Waking up to you every morning."

"Kissing you in the car in the parking lot at CTU."

Tony and Michelle, in a desperate attempt to escape their worries for a bit, had decided to instead tell each other things they loved about each other, and things they loved about being together, something they did every once and awhile, and now was definitely a time that it would help them.

"The way you always know what I'm thinking."

"The way you always know when I feel like crap, even when I try my hardest not to let anybody see it," he said.

They both paused, thinking.

"Oh, I got one," said Tony, "Your laugh. Your smile," he pulled her ear down to his mouth and whispered, "And the fact that it still makes my heart jump"

She smiled slightly at him.

"Late nights when we're the only ones at CTU," Michelle said, giggling.

Tony grinned at her.

"The fact that you still blush when I tell you you're beautiful," said Tony quietly, Michelle going red.

"That you still look at me like that," she said softly, referring to the glossy-eyed, loving look he gave her.

He kissed her lightly on the lips.

"God Tony, I just want to go home," she said frustrated.

"You know, you could just go home for a little bit to get some sleep-" he began, but she cut him off.

"You know what I mean. I went home to get changed. It's not the same. I can't get the idea out of my head that maybe it won't be."

A tear trickled down her face at this reference to his charge and possible prison time.

"I need you baby," she said quietly, looking at him in the eyes, her hand resting on his cheek where she had moved his face to be looking at her.

He rested his forehead on the hollow of her neck, and she stoked his hair.

"How are either of us going to recover from this fucking awful day if we don't have each other?" she said, tears running down her cheeks.

"Hey," he said sweetly, wiping the tears away from her face with his thumbs and then cupping her face with his hands, "there have been far more tears today then you should ever have to endure."

She let out a half laugh half sob and tried to stop. She ran her hand across his stubble and then started to trace his lips lightly with a finger. He kissed the back of her hand and she ran her hand over his face, up his forehead and then back down to his cheek, next pulling him closer to her. She held the back of his head close to her and shifted closer to his torso. He rested his head on her shoulder, keeping his arms around her waist. He laid a quick kiss on the part of her exposed shoulder before absorbing her scent, burying his face in her hair and resting his head on the crook of her neck. He sighed in relief, being able to inhale the scent that seemed to offer him comfort. Along with this smell came the memories of being with her. Waking up to her body wrapped in sheets, his arms around her. Cuddling close to watch the sunset on the beach. Attacking each other the second they walked into the door, quickly disposing of clothing and the ecstasy that followed. Michelle noticed him barricading himself in her curls, a closeness she had experienced many times. After a passionate kiss, that left them both breathless. When they had leant on each other for support in times of sadness. But most of all, when he held her. When they spent hours laying together entrapped in each other's embrace. Michelle took a shaky breath and continued to let her head droop slightly down onto the side of his neck. Under normal circumstances they both would have completely lost any self control they had. In fact the urge to kiss his neck as her face and lips brushed lightly past to rest on his shoulder, almost overwhelmed her. Indeed being this close to her and having his face right against her neck, it was all he could do to control himself. They both knew that there were people watching, more importantly coworkers, and they had already let loose in front of them enough for one day. The one thought that engraved itself in their heads was that if he did go home, such self control would immediately be extinguished. Unable to stand it any longer, Tony pulled back and kissed her on the lips. She kissed him back but they both reluctantly pulled back before they lost any control. Kim walked in for a second and motioned for Michelle to come talk to her. As they were friends, Kim felt a lot more comfortable just telling Michelle this.

"Uh, we turned off the camera and dimmed the glass so that nobody can see in. We're all gonna leave the observation room. We all thought it was only fair to give you guys some actual alone time. In fact, I don't think Hammond's ever had that many people telling him not to be an ass," she giggled.

"Thanks," said Michelle, grinning at her.

Kim closed the door and went back into CTU. Tony and Michelle were left totally alone. Michelle turned to him and grinned, repeating what Kim had told her. Tony grinned at her and stood up, walking over to her. He kissed her passionately on the lips and picked her up, placing her down on the edge of the table. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he soaked in how good it felt to be able to really kiss her. He felt her tongue enter his mouth and groaned into her mouth. She put her arm over his shoulder while his hands rested on the table on either side of her, him using them to hold up his body that was leaning in towards hers. They pulled back breathlessly, and Tony instinctively went to her neck, pushing her hair away and kissing it passionately. She moved her face around to kiss him again, needing to feel his lips on hers. They were so eager to consume as much of each other as humanly possibly that their lips weren't meeting exactly right all the time. As he kissed her lower lip and chin, he sucked on her bottom lip, making her slow down and pull back to kiss him again. She pulled on his collar, bringing his head to hers and kissing him passionately on the lips again. He walked around the table, still connected by the lips and sat down in the chair. She turned her body on the table so that she was looking at him and slid off the table onto his lap so that she was facing him. They both cradled each others faces and hungrily kissed one another. Michelle reached around and started nibbling on his ear, exposing her neck which he kissed gently.

"God Michelle," he said breathlessly, "I wish we could just get out of here."

She smiled at the urgency and desire in his voice.

"I need to get off you," she said breathlessly, standing up, "if we keep up like this who knows if either of us will be able to stop.

She walked over to the wall opposite the mirror and eyed him with a small grin. He stood up and walked over to her, pressing her into the wall and pinning her arms to the side with his.

"I don't care."

He kissed her so hard, making her gasp slightly before giving in to the sensation. He pressed his body up to hers, and she raked her fingernails down his shoulder. All of her good intentions went out the window.

"God I love you," he panted.

She in the meantime, was concentrating on nibbling on his lip, which, once released, he licked. Tony started to kiss her collarbone, next sucking on her neck which left faint red patches on her normally flawless skin. Michelle pulled back.

"Shit Tony," she said giggling, "Now I'm gonna have to walk out of here like this."

"You'll live," he said with a grin, continuing to kiss down her collarbone and then up to the other side of her neck.

They sank down to the ground where they continued kissing, not able to stop, just cherishing the fact that they were able to have this time together, unconcerned about cameras or people staring at them.


	10. Chapter 10

**This ones kinda short. The next one will be longer, promise! It also kinda skips to something so please tell me if that was ok. i was kinda nervous about that. Please, i need reviews! it makes me update faster... :) thanks for reading... and REVIEWING!**

Kim walked in after knocking and saw them sitting. They were so great together. They were slightly blocked by the table. Tony was leaning against the wall and Michelle was laying down with her head in his lap, looking at him. It seemed this time had done them some good as they were both laughing, and Tony was bent down in his sitting position so that they were almost nose to nose. Kim found it so amazing how people could think that the man in front of her was a traitor. She had known Tony for what felt like a long time and respected him as an agent and a friend. She loved Michelle and knew how perfect they were for each other; she hated the fact that they might not be able to have each other. She knew they Michelle would be crushed, and was sure Tony would be too.

"Just telling you we're going back in," Kim said, slightly awkwardly.

"Okay," said Michelle, flashing her friend a small smile.

Once Kim had walked out, Tony leant down and kissed Michelle briefly on the lips.

"Is there anything we need to talk about?" asked Michelle softly after a pause.

"Well, if they offer some kind of deal, should I take it?" asked Tony, hesitantly.

"It depends." Michelle said.

"I know," said Tony in almost a defeated tone of voice.

He knew what she meant.

"Look, Tony. I, I don't know what I'll do if you get sent to prison," said Michelle quietly.

"I know," he said again, "the thought of living without you is killing me."

They were silent for a moment, both deep in thought.

"I think we should try and get a trial date for as soon as possible. I can't stand not knowing," said Michelle softly.

"Alright," said Tony, "alright."

He stood up and offered her his hand. Together they stood up, went to the table, and sat down, ready to negotiate. What, they didn't know.

Two days later Tony and Michelle still sat together, except now they were in a courtroom, and she wasn't allowed to be held by him. The past two days had seemed like one long day, Michelle staying with him as much as she could, only returning home to change her clothes for trial. The prosecution was now producing evidence. Michelle grimaced slightly as they talked about all of the things he had done wrong and pointed out faults in his faultless record.

"However," said the prosecutor. "This is best described by Almeida himself. Already submitted as Evidence 8 is this tape of Almeida and his wife in holding at Federal."

"Can I object?" said Tony suddenly, as his lawyer hadn't said anything.

"Is there a reason Mr. Almeida?' asked the judge.

"No. Tony sit down, this helps our argument," said his lawyer, Christopher Jones.

"Yes," said Tony to the judge, "This was a private moment between me and my wife. Its nobody's business."

"You were in custody in a federal facility. Anything recorded there, as I'm sure you already know, is amicable in court."

Tony put his head down in a defeated manner, not meeting anybody's eyes as the tape was played. The tape displayed Michelle's crying and her loss of control. Very specifically, it showed Tony wrap her in his arms and her collapse into him, and the pained look on his almost crying face as he held her. Then it showed him pick her up and carry her to the bed where he gently placed her, so she could drift off in her exhaustion. The video skipped to five minutes later when Tony was talking to her motionless body, explaining everything and how much he loved her. The video went black. Everybody stayed silent. Not a soul moved as everybody in the room stared at the blank screen. The silence in the small courtroom was broken by a muffled sob. Everybody seemed to collectively look in the direction of the noise, where Michelle's bloodshot eyes could be seen, the rest of her face hidden by her hands. Her eyes were fixated on him. Tony made to stand up, as he had turned to look at her and was completely captivated, but felt rather than heard the rising of the two guards in the courtroom and sat back down, resting his elbows on the table and his face in his hands, finally facing forward again. He rubbed his forehead and eyes, almost frustrated. The defense seemed to pass in a haze. People were brought up to testify, including Tony, on his behalf, and Jack in particular, by talking about how he, Gael, and Tony had come up with the original plan, seemed to make somewhat of a reasonable argument for Tony's release. Now it was just a matter of awaiting the judge's verdict.


	11. Chapter 11

Tony sat with his hands crossed and his face set in stone. Looking on, Michelle could tell that he was nervous, but it was one of those times that he was doing his hardest to hide it. Michelle was also maintaining a firm exterior, but she was so nervous. It was hard to just sit there waiting for the verdict that would determine if their lives would be changed for the worse forever. After what seemed like forever, the judge came back in. Both of them seemed to sit up a little bit.

"Will the defendant please rise?" said the Judge.

Tony and his lawyer stood up.

"Mr. Almeida, what you did was wrong. Thousands of people could have died, and the fact that you put the life of one person, any one person, in front of all those citizens, is atrocious. However, thankfully nobody was hurt, and you helped in finding Saunders and keeping his daughter in custody, mending the mistakes you made. I also feel that these were extenuating circumstances. You will never serve in a governmental position again, apart from the request of high officials in time of need, and for your lack of judgement, I am placing you under house arrest for one month. Apart from that, I see no reason why, as you showed many times that day your devotion to this country, that I should imprison you for treason. Mr. Almeida, you are free to return home."

Tony felt like an enormous weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He couldn't believe it; he was going home to her. Michelle was numb. Was this really happening? Was he really coming home? As it hit her, she smiled. It seemed to hit Tony at exactly the same time. He practically ran to her row and pulled her into a tight embrace, both refusing to let go in case they were pried apart again. Michelle couldn't stop smiling. Tony felt relief consume his body as he was finally able to hold her. He kissed the side of her forehead and whispered "I love you" into her ear. After about a minute they pulled back and Michelle brought her hand to his face.

"I love you," she said back.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and his went to her waist as she leaned her forehead against his, using her arms to pull his head closer, him pressing his into hers. Michelle closed her eyes as she allowed this feeling to wash over her. She felt so happy, yet so overwhelmed at the same time. He smiled as she pulled back slightly and looked into her eyes. He gently slipped his hand down her shoulder and interlaced his fingers with hers. It was so strange. After all that they had been through she still felt her skin tingle at his touch.

"You need to sign here," said a security guard, walking up to them.

Tony turned to him and, without letting go of Michelle's hand, signed the paper.

"So can I go now?" he asked.

"For now," answered the guard, "They're going to need to have you back to sign some more papers and to fill you in about your terms of the house arrest, but for now, yeah. Just don't leave the house unless there is an emergency. Somebody will call tomorrow to set up a meeting time."

"Thank you," said Tony.

Michelle smiled slightly in her tired form as Tony put his arm around her and pulled her closer, planting a kiss in her hair. She interlaced her fingers with his hand draped around her shoulder. They walked out of the courtroom, content to continue to be together forever, not looking back.

OK... so i know that wasnt the most relistic of all things but maybe if we could just say they had a nice judge... or just overlook that bit, lol. PLEASE REVIEW! if you want more posts! :) i swear, its not that hard. just hit the little button at the bottom left side of your computer. :) big grin


	12. Chapter 12

**You know you want to review! :)**

****

They both entered the house, still holding each other, and wandered sleepily to the couch. The second they sat down they both found themselves incredibly reluctant to stand up. Luckily, with the last days having been so hectic, there were sweatpants, a t-shirt of Michelle's, and a pair of boxers in a laundry basket that had been brought to the living room, its contents intending to be folded but instead remaining in their basket. Michelle wordlessly reached to the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head. He slipped his pants off, and she handed him the sweatpants. He pulled them on and turned to face her. She had drifted back into the couch and closed her eyes. He gently unbuttoned the buttons on her shirt and slid it off her shoulders. She opened her eyes and smiled weakly at him. He handed her a t-shirt, and then unbuttoned her pants as she finished putting it on. She slid them off and grabbed a pair of his boxers from the basket of clean clothes and slipped them on. Tony stood up and turned the light off, then returned and cuddled back into her. Tony lay down behind her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body slightly more on top of his so that her head was resting right below his neck. She intertwined her fingers with the hands wrapped around her body. Tony moved one hand to grab a blanket and pulled it over them, then putting it back into hers and around her body. He leaned up slightly, propping his head over hers, and kissed her on the lips.

"I love you Michelle," he said gently.

"I love you," she whispered softly, as her voice faded and her eyes closed, leaving a serene look on her face.

Within seconds they were both sleeping soundly, both satisfied to be wrapped in the other's arms and with the knowledge that they loved each other.

Tony woke up to a pounding on the door. He squinted his eyes and noticed Michelle still asleep. Not wanting her to wake up too, he quickly removed himself from under her. He paused looking at her sleeping form, but was swiftly returned to reality as he heard the knocking again. He went over, squinting slightly at the bright light, and answered the door.

"Morning," said Jack, accompanied by Chase, Kim, and two girls and one guy from CTU.

The girls knew Tony and Michelle. They had come along to make sure they were okay. They were the ones that Michelle would chat to, but they never really socialized outside of work. Even in the present situation, both girls were surprised at seeing Tony topless. Before Michelle and Tony got engaged all the girls, Michelle included, used to talk about how attractive they found him. Little did they know that Michelle had been dating him. After they got engaged, the girls had badgered Michelle with questions, wanting to know if he was as dreamy and sexy as they had imagined. She had told them yes, and now, getting a good look at him, they realized she had been completely on the dot.

"Shh," Tony said, "Michelle's still asleep."

He motioned them in, and they all walked into the kitchen and T.V. room. Tony crept up to Michelle and brushed a piece of hair out of her face, stroking the part of her skin that his hand had grazed across with his thumb. He leant down and kissed her gently on the lips. She made a little noise indicating that she was beginning to wake up.

"Sweetheart," he said softly, "Baby wake up, people are here."

She sleepily opened her eyes and smiled slightly at his face so close to hers. He sat down on the edge of the couch and pulled her body into a sitting position. She leaned her forehead sleepily on his shoulder, rubbing her eyes. She turned to look at their company.

"Jack, what the hell are you doing here so early?" she asked, but in a way that anybody who knew her well enough would know that she wasn't actually mad, just a little bit annoyed.

Jack grinned at her acting annoyed.

"It's one in the afternoon. Besides, we brought food."

"Which is the one reason I let you in," said Tony jokingly.

"Hey guys," said Michelle more nicely as she turned and put her feet on the ground.

Tony suddenly become aware of the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt, and hastily reached down and grabbed his from the night before. Michelle noticed this and instead handed him a clean t-shirt from the basket. They began to chat as Tony pulled the shirt over his head and then leaned back on the couch and held her hand. They all voiced their happiness that Tony had gotten off without any prison time.

"I'm starving," said Tony suddenly.

"Let's eat," said Chase.

"I'm just going to go and change," said Michelle, standing up and walking back into her and Tony's bedroom to put on a pair of comfortable jeans.

When Michelle walked back in Tony and some of the others had already started on the beer. She walked up behind him where he was sitting on a stool in the kitchen and ran her hand up the back of his shoulder and onto his arm. He glanced at her and handed her his beer. She took a swig and then put it back in his hand. They all took their food and ate hungrily, talking and laughing all the while. Soon after they finished eating Tony excused himself to go and change. When he reappeared he was dressed in jeans and a sweater that looked absolutely gorgeous on him. He came over to the couch and slumped down next to Michelle, who intertwined her fingers in his. They stayed talking for a little while. While everybody went into the kitchen to get snacks and more beer, Michelle spread out on the couch. Within moments she was fast asleep. Tony walked back in with a couple of the others and smiled.

"She's a little tired," said Tony, grinning.

"Should we go?" asked one of the girls.

"No, its fine," said Tony.

He reached under her legs and her back and lifted her into his arms. In her sleep, Michelle draped one arm over his shoulder and rested her head on his chest. Tony kissed the top of her head while walking around to the back of the couch on his way to their bedroom. He laid her gently on the bed and rested her head on the pillow. He put a blanket over her and then kissed her softly on the lips before closing the door quietly behind him and going back to the couches, his thoughts still on her flawless face.


	13. Chapter 13

So sorry its taken so long but ive gotton hardly any reviews and really havent been so motivated. but i figured id take a crack at it. still not possitive about this. as always discalimer i dont own this yadda yadda. warning in this one. there is some sexual content but nothing too bad i dont think. more for the sake of the plot kind of... well, youll see. please review asap!!! i love them! :)

Only a small amount of time had passed since Tony had carried Michelle into bed, and Tony and the others were having a nice time just talking.

"Shh," said Tony suddenly, motioning for everybody to be silent, and immediately realizing what he expected was true.

There was the sound of soft crying coming from the bedroom. Tony immediately jumped up and rushed quickly to the bedroom, flinging the door open on his way. The others hurried worriedly behind him and waited at the door as Tony ran in. He quickly crawled onto the bed and over her to see her face. Michelle's eyes were shut tight, her face scrunched up from the effort, and tears were making their way from under her eyelids down her cheeks. Tony maneuvered his body to the side of her so that he was lying next to her and stroked her face.

"Sweetheart," he said worriedly, "baby wake up. It's just a dream."

He continued stroking her hair, one arm draped over her body. She opened her eyes.

"Tony," she said, the relief evident in her voice.

"Yes baby, I'm here," he said with a soft smile, staring into her eyes.

She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. He sat up and pulled her up, brushing a piece of hair out of her face lightly.

"You okay," he asked, eyebrows raised and looking at her worriedly.

"Yeah," she said, her voice back to normal.

Tony used his thumbs to wipe under her eyes, offering her a small smile.

"Sor-" she started, looking down slightly with a little smile, trying to make it seem as though it was no big deal.

He put a finger on her lips, silencing her, then leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips, pulling back but keeping his cheek lightly against hers so that he could nudge her face slightly with his, her closing her eyes at the closeness of his touch and nudging slightly back into him. The others started to slip back into the other room, making them break apart and look over at them.

"Sorry," said Kim.

"No no," said Michelle, "Sorry to get you guys worried. Tony, sweetie," she said, moving her hand back to his face, "go back in. I'll be there in a minute."

She forced a smile. He looked at her intently for a moment before standing up. He started to walk out before turning back.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked her.

"Yes honey," she said, again forcing that smile that he could see straight through.

He turned and followed the others out the door, glancing back in time to see her fall back onto the pillow and close her eyes for a second, sighing.

"Not yet," she said to herself.

No, now was not the time to fall apart. She was stronger than that. She would help him through this; she wasn't going to let herself become a mess. She swung her legs back around and got out of bed, went to the bathroom and checked her makeup and redid her hair. She walked out into the living room and curled up in Tony's arms.

"You okay?" he breathed in her ear.

"I'm fine baby," she said with a small smile, returning to talk with everybody, laugh, and push the dream out of her head.

By the time they had shown everybody to the door, they had returned to the normal light hearted conversation that normally took place when talking in a group like this. As Michelle closed the front doors, Tony turned her around. He wrapped her up in his arms and put his forehead to hers. This reality was just so hard to accept. She was here. He was here. With her. He was touching her, brushing his fingers over her flawless skin, feeling the tremble pulsate through her body. They walked together into their bedroom, and she sat down on the end of the bed. He went into the bathroom to splash water onto his face and came back to find her sitting in the same place. He sat down next to her and swept a piece of hair out of her face. As he went to brush another lingering curl behind her ear she caught his hand, pulling that and his face further into her so that she could kiss him. She pressed her lips openly onto his and pushed her tongue into his mouth. As he reacted to her kiss she pushed him over, back onto the bed. She continued kissing him while kneeling over him. She moved her hands to the bottom of his shirt and parted her lips from his only to pull it over his head. His hand steadily made its way under her shirt until he seemed to decide that he was willing to pull back for a second to take that off too. She reached to his belt and pulled it off, unbuttoning his pants and sliding them down as far as her hands would allow with her lips still attached to his. He unbuttoned her pants and pulled them down, allowing his fingers to graze over the back of her knees. She pulled back to finish undressing him and returned to his arms, pressing her bare stomach into his and finally slowing at the closeness this new attire allowed them. She kissed him as they started to make love. She felt as though the physical buildup was accompanied by an emotional one as well. He turned her over and laid on top of her as they continued. He could feel her body trembling and felt her body seem to loosen into a convulsion of sobs as she fell over the brink. Within seconds he had followed her and felt as though this had had the same affect on him. It was reality. He was really there with her. He was really making love to her. He had really almost lost her. He collapsed onto her, not trying to even muffle his own sobs as they seemed to mix with hers as they both let go physically and emotionally.

"Almost lost you," managed to creep out of her mouth in between sobs.

"Virus… knife," he cried, face scrunched up as the images of that day flashed through his mind.

"Blood…operating table… gone, prison," she sobbed, still wrapped in images of her own.

Still huddled in each others arms and sobbing uncontrollably, the only thing that seemed to help them calm down was the one word they both said at exactly same time, as images of that day seemed to continue invading.

"Kiss."

Their sobs slowed.

"I love you," he managed, staring her dead in the eyes.

"I love you," she said, her voice cracking.

He reclaimed her lips, rolling back over her. They made love again, but this time it was different. Neither was dying for release from the nightmare. They both cried the entire time, engulfed in the ability to sink into each other. He rolled off of her, tears still making their way down both of their cheeks, but both wrapping each other as tightly as possible in their arms, falling into the first peaceful sleep they had had in days, finally able to truly face that they were both there, alive and together, and never leaving the other's arms again.

enjoy! :) (oh and please review)


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